title: Thermal ablation of lung tumors.
abstract: The 5-year survival for all stages of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains bleak, having increased from 13% to just 16% over the past 30 years. Despite promising results in nonoperative patients with NSCLC and pulmonary metastatic disease, thermal ablation appears to be limited by large tumor size and proximity to large vessels. This article discusses the particular challenges of performing thermal ablation in aerated lung tissue and reviews important considerations in performing ablation including treatment complications and imaging follow-up. The article compares and contrasts the three major thermal ablation modalities: radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, and cryoablation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53792, USA.
authors.forename: P David
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Sonntag
authors.forename: J Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hinshaw
authors.forename: Meghan G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Lubner
authors.forename: Christopher L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Brace
authors.forename: Fred T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D055011:Ablation Techniques; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*